Saif Ali Khan attack case: Accused Shahzad arrested; could be Bangladeshi, say Mumbai Police

Mumbai, Jan 19 (IANS) The Mumbai Police on Sunday said that a man, identified as Mohammad Shariful Islam Shahzad, has been arrested from Maharashtra’s Thane in the Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan attack case, adding that he could be originally from Bangladesh.

Dikshit Gedam, DCP, Crime Branch Mumbai, while addressing a press conference here said, “There is primary evidence to anticipate that the accused is a Bangladeshi. He does not have valid Indian documents. Some seizures indicate that he is a Bangladeshi national…”

He said that on January 16, at 2 a.m., actor Saif Ali Khan was attacked at his residence.

“FIR was registered and one accused has been arrested. His name is Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, he is 30 years old. He entered the house with the intention of robbery. He will be produced in the court and custody will be demanded,” said the DCP.

Further investigation will take place.

He further said, “The accused came to Mumbai 5 to 6 months ago. After that, he started living in various other areas and came to Mumbai 15 days ago He was using Vijay Das as his current name.”

“He used to work in a housekeeping agency. After entering India illegally he changed his name,” the DCP said.

The accused was caught near the Hiranandani Estate in Kasarvadavali, about 35 kilometres from Saif’s residence. Initially, he said his name was Vijay Das and later grilling revealed his real name.

He had changed his name out of fear of getting caught.

The arrest by the Mumbai Police was made in a joint operation conducted by DCP Zone-6 Navnath Dhavale’s team and the Kasarvadavali police at a labour camp near the metro construction site, behind the TCS Call Center in Hiranandani Estate, Thane West.

Actor Saif Ali Khan suffered six stab wounds while struggling with the intruder who broke into his Bandra residence early on Thursday with the intent of robbery.

The attacker had fled the scene. The actor was rushed to Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries.

Saif Ali Khan, who was said to be out of danger, is recovering at the hospital.

The prime accused was previously employed at a pub in Mumbai. Now that he has been arrested, police will present before the court later on Sunday for remand, the Mumbai crime branch said.

Mumbai Police have said that the accused had multiple names, including Vijay Das, Bijoy Das, and Mohammad Ilyas, media reported.

The attacker was caught in CCTV footage of the Satguru Sharan building, which houses actor Saif Ali Khan and his family.

DCP Zone-9 Dikshit Gedam revealed that the attacker used the staircase to get upstairs to Saif’s 12th-floor apartment.

Saif Ali Khan’s home staff Eliyamma Philips alias Lima was present in the house at the time of the incident and was the first one to spot the accused. In a bid to stop him, she engaged in a scuffle with him which resulted in the injuries on her hand.

Hearing Lima’s scream, Saif Ali Khan got alarmed and stepped out of his room. As he struggled with the accused, he struck the actor with a sharp knife around six times. Following this, the attacker fled the scene.

In her statement to the Mumbai Police, Lima had described the attacker as a slim, dark-complexioned man in his late thirties, around 5 feet 5 inches tall.

Almost six hours after this incident, the accused was caught on CCTV camera buying headphones at a store in Dadar in a blue shirt around 9 a.m. on Thursday. Earlier, he was also seen at Bandra railway station, where he is believed to have boarded a train.

Saif Ali Khan’s wife and actress Kareena Kapoor Khan had told the police that the accused got ‘very aggressive’ during his scuffle with Saif and stabbed the actor repeatedly. However, she said, he did not touch any of the jewellery kept in the open.

Saif Ali Khan was grievously injured in the scuffle with the attacker at his home. Admitted with six injuries to the hospital, which included two deep wounds on his left hand and neck, Saif Ali Khan underwent multiple surgeries and was said to be “out of danger”. He was moved to the intensive care unit to be kept under observation.

On Friday, Niraj Uttamani, the chief operating officer of the Hospital, told reporters that Saif was shifted to a special room and was under recovery.

“He is completely cheerful. In fact, we are planning a discharge in the next two to three days,” he added.

Doctors praised Saif Ali Khan’s courage and said that they have kept the visitors in check to ensure that he gets enough rest.

–IANS

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